Extractors have been used for the removal of stones or calculi from within the body. One type of extractor has a sheath and includes a basket at its distal end. The basket may have a number of legs, and may be collapsed within the sheath to achieve a reduced diameter profile. The basket may also be opened when it extends beyond the sheath. Once opened, a targeted stone may be captured within the basket.
The baskets of some extractors may have only one configuration when extending beyond the sheath, regardless of the size of the targeted stone. For example, a basket having four legs may maintain its four leg configuration, and may maintain substantially the same spacing between each leg, whether capturing small stones or large stones. Such extractors may make it more difficult to capture stones of varying sizes and may hinder the user's ability to reduce the size of some stones through, for example, laser lithotripsy.
The present disclosure provides stone retrieval devices and methods of using the same that avoid some or all of the aforementioned shortcomings of existing devices.